Health Update

Surgeon General Urges Teaching About Abstinence, Contraception

Sex education programs should encourage abstinence, but also offer
young people scientifically valid information about contraception, the
U.S. surgeon general urges in a new report.

Dr. David Satcher, the nation's principal physician since 1998, said
sex education should "stress the value and benefits of remaining
abstinent until involved in a committed, enduring, and mutually
monogamous relationship." But, he points out in the report, learning
about the use of condoms and other forms of contraception is also a way
of protecting people from sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted
pregnancies.

The report, "The Surgeon General's Call to Action
To Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior," released
June 28, suggests that communities should start a dialogue on
"sexuality education" and "put systems in place to promote equitable
access and respect for all cultural, gender, age, and
sexual-orientation groups."

One group was quick to criticize the report for not distinguishing
marriage as superior to other forms of "committed, enduring, and
mutually monogamous relationships."

"Marriage is not paid the attention it deserves in the report," said
Heather Cirmo, a spokeswoman for the Family Research Council, based in
Washington. "Although Dr. Satcher emphasized abstinence, he encouraged
people to wait until they find the right person instead of a lifelong
marriage partner."

She added that the "call to destigmatize so-called sexual
orientation is perhaps the most disheartening component of the
report."

The report is based on a two-year review of scientific papers and
conferences, including participation by 130 representatives from
academic, religious, and education groups, as well as parents and
youths.

Among other statements, the report concludes that while no method of
contraception, aside from abstinence, is infallible— and that
condoms cannot protect against some forms of sexually transmitted
diseases—"research is inconclusive about the value of abstinence-
only sex education programs."

A greater body of evidence, Dr. Satcher found, supports the value of
sex education programs that combine teaching about the importance of
abstinence and providing information about condoms and other methods of
contraception.

During a press conference last month, White House spokesman Ari
Fleisher said that the Bush administration did not endorse the report's
findings. He noted that the report "was issued by a surgeon general
that [President Bush] did not appoint, a surgeon general who was
appointed by the previous administration. The president's overall
approach on these matters focuses on abstinence education."

Low Iron and Poor Math Skills

New research that links iron deficiency to lower test scores offers
one explanation for why teenage girls often lag behind boys in high
school mathematics.

Based on nationally representative data on 5,398 children ages 6 to
16, the study found that students with iron deficiency were more than
twice as likely to score below average on standardized math tests. Iron
deficiency was found in 3 percent of the youngsters studied,
representing 1.2 million school-age children.

The difference in performance was most striking with adolescent
girls, according to an article in the June issue of the medical journal
Pediatrics. The study was led by Dr. Jill Halterman of the
University of Rochester in New York.

"Past studies have shown the superiority of females in math
achievement during elementary and middle school years and a reversal of
this trend with male superiority (specifically in math and problem-
solving) in high school and college years," the researchers write in
the article. "This study suggests iron deficiency may contribute to
this gender discrepancy by negatively affecting math performance among
adolescent girls."

Iron deficiency is the most common blood disorder for children,
according to the article. Adolescent girls are particularly susceptible
because of a combination of poor diets, iron depletion from rapid
growth, and menstruation.

While iron deficiency was fairly uncommon among children ages 6 to
11 in the sample group, it was present in 8.7 percent of the girls
studied between the ages of 12 and 16.

Researchers found average math scores for iron- deficient students
were roughly 6 points lower than those with normal iron levels, and
teenage girls with iron deficiency scored on average more than 8 points
lower than other adolescent girls.

Driver Education

The United States could dramatically reduce the No. 1 killer of
teenagers—motor vehicle crashes—with improvements in driver
education and laws that place restrictions on newly licensed drivers,
according to a report from the American Automobile Association.

Teenage drivers constitute 7 percent of the driving population, but
account for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In an analysis based on injury and crash data from that agency, the
AAA projects that strong graduated-driver-licensing programs that
include passenger restrictions and curbs on nighttime driving for
teenagers could lead to 1.5 million fewer crashes, 500,000 fewer
injuries, and $9 billion in savings over 10 years.

Those conclusions from the nonprofit travel organization, based in
Orlando, Fla., match the findings of an earlier study, published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association last year, that
reported that the risk of fatal injury for both male and female drivers
ages 16 or 17 increases with the number of passengers in the car.

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